What is proprioception?

At The Inspired Treehouse, we write about sensory processing from our point of view as pediatric occupational therapists, using our training and experience to break information down into terms everyone can understand. Dayna, an early childhood educator and a homeschooling mom of 3, including a little guy with Sensory Processing Disorder, writes about sensory play and sensory activities for kids from a mom and teacher’s point of view.

Today, we’ll talk about proprioception and how it’s related to child development.

WHAT DOES PROPRIOCEPTION MEAN?
When children move and play, their muscles stretch and contract. Proprioception refers to the way joints and muscles send messages to the brain to help coordinate movement.

This sense also allows us to grade the force and direction of our movements – our bodies instinctively know to apply more effort when lifting a heavy box and less effort when lifting a piece of paper. While the vestibular system tells the brain about balance and moving against gravity, the proprioceptive system helps us coordinate the movement of our arms and legs in an efficient manner to play and move without even having to look.

A HEALTHY PROPRIOCEPTIVE SYSTEM
A functioning proprioceptive system allows a child to write with a pencil without pushing so hard that he breaks the tip or take a drink from a Dixie cup without crushing it in his hand. A functioning proprioceptive system allows children to move, play, and explore in a smoothly coordinated and efficient way – not too gently, not too rough.

PROBLEMS WITH PROPRIOCEPTION
Meet our friend Sam. At school, Sam has a reputation for being the “rough kid”. He pushes other kids in line, he writes and colors with heavy pressure, he plays aggressively with others on the playground. In gym class, Sam doesn’t kick the ball to his partner, he kicks it as hard as he can.

Now, meet Julia. Julia falls out of her chair several times a day. Her writing and coloring is barely visible on paper. She is bumps into walls and other children when moving in the hallway and appears weak and clumsy. She has to look and really think about what she is doing even during the simplest motor tasks like putting on her shoes. Julia sometimes appears tired or sluggish, slumping and leaning in her seat. The gym teacher knows Julia well, and spends extra time with her practicing skills.

Even though these two children have very different appearances, in reality, they both need more proprioceptive input in their daily routine. Proprioceptive activities provide opportunities for heavy work (pushing, pulling, moving against resistance), waking up your muscles and therefore, your mind.

OUR FAVORITE PROPRIOCEPTIVE ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
Most children develop a strong proprioceptive sense simply through engaging in everyday play activities that allow for exploration and movement. There are many activities that can help promote the development of a healthy proprioceptive system. Here are some of our favorites:

Pam Braley has been an occupational therapist since 1997 and has worked in several environments including pediatric inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, step down NICU, and currently school based for the past 8 years. She is a mother of two beautiful children, Jack (7) and Ella (5). Pam enjoys cooking, reading a good book, exercising including walks, yoga, and training with friends. This quote has traveled with Pam to each desk she has claimed while being an OT and helps her stay focused both in her career and as a mom.

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[…] WHAT DOES PROPRIOCEPTION MEAN? “When children move and play, their muscles stretch and contract. Proprioception refers to the way joints and muscles send messages to the brain to help coordinate movement. This sense also allows us to grade the force and direction of our movements – our bodies instinctively know to apply more effort when lifting a heavy box and less effort when lifting a piece of paper. While the vestibular system tells the brain about balance and moving against gravity, the proprioceptive system helps us coordinate the movement of our arms and legs in an efficient manner to play and move without even having to look.” http://www.theinspiredtreehouse.com […]

[…] One “hidden” sense you may not have heard of is proprioception – this gives us our sense of body/limb awareness as sensory messages travel from the muscles and joints all over our body, right up to the brain. Even tiny muscles connected to small body parts like our fingers and eyes can send messages of proprioception to the brain. I like to refer to proprioception as the “stretch and compress” sense because it is activated when we are actively engage in activities that, yep, stretch and compress our muscles and joints. Some basic examples of activities that involve proprioception are crawling, climbing, pulling, pushing, and hanging. As therapists, we know that proprioceptive input tends to be calming, organizing, and grounding. Learn more about proprioception. […]